Gunmen Kill Four Soldiers in South Yemen

Unidentified gunmen shot dead four Yemeni soldiers Wednesday in an attack on a military vehicle in the southern Shabwa province, an official said.

They opened fire as the vehicle headed to an army checkpoint near the port of Balhaf gas-export terminal.

"The attack killed four soldiers and wounded three others," he said, adding that army forces were hunting for the assailants, who had fled.

Attacks on security forces are frequent in southern Yemen, where al-Qaida remains active despite government military campaigns, and southern separatists have intensified their calls for independence.

Suspected al-Qaida gunmen killed 15 soldiers Friday in an attack on a checkpoint in the southeastern province of Hadramawt.